Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Sunday hit out at Opposition leader Asif Ali Zardari and said that no members of his party are ready to be sold, no matter how much wealth Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader offers.
His remarks came while addressing a rally in Islamabad's Parade Ground in presence of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
"Asif Ali Zardari, bring all your wealth, none of the political activists are ready to be sold. Today the people of Pakistan have expressed their faith in Imran Khan. I have come to tell you that my and my son who are in the National Assembly, our votes will go to you. We will not compromise. We were, are and will always stand by," he said.
The Foreign Minister further slammed the Opposition and said that they do not have the same vision and destination, however, they have come together to bow Imran Khan down.
"I have come with a question today that Imran Khan is standing alone on one side today, and rest of on the other side. They do not have the same flag, vision and destination. But they have come together to bow Imran down. Would you let Imran bow down?" he said.
The show of strength by Imran Khan comes as the opposition geared up for a no-trust vote in the National Assembly to oust his government. This comes as the opposition has geared up for a no-trust vote in the National Assembly to oust his government over massive corruption, unemployment, inflation and price hike.
Earlier, rumours of Imran Khan resigning from his office were rife after the renaming of Pakistan's Prime Minister's Office YouTube channel to "Imran Khan" on Saturday.
The no-confidence motion was submitted by the Opposition parties on March 8 after the Pakistan People's Party's (PPP) long march in Islamabad. The Opposition has been confident that its motion would be carried as many PTI lawmakers have come out in the open against PM Imran Khan.
As the crucial no-confidence motion session inched closer and uncertainty continued to shroud political alliances, at least 50 ministers belonging to the ruling party had gone 'missing' from the political front.
The Pakistani National Assembly has a total strength of 342 members, with the majority mark being 172. The PTI led coalition was formed with the support of 179 members, with Imran Khan's PTI having 155 members, and four major allies Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) having seven, five, five and three members respectively.
Imran Khan's situation was precarious given that three of the four allies, that is, MQM-P, PML-Q and BAP had stated their support to the Opposition's no-confidence motion and said that they will vote accordingly.
Imran Khan recently dispatched a team of senior PTI leaders to meet the allies and assure them that their reservations would be addressed. On Saturday, it was reported that the Prime Minister was himself setting up meetings with the estranged allies, particularly the MQM-P in order to reach an understanding.
( With inputs from ANI )
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